London's synth group blaze through their most celebrated anthems.
Depeche Mode returned to Dallas at the Superpages.com Center to rock n’ rave through new material and provide a few new takes on some vintage classics. Earlier this summer, DM received a major setback when band leader Dave Gahan canceled several European shows to have a malignant tumor removed. Fortunately, Gahan and Co.’s performance provides solid evidence that Depeche Mode has returned to form without missing a beat.
The foursome entered the stage to play the trip-hop new track, In Chains (from the new album Sounds of the Universe), featuring a controversial graphics screen of a wise old man and what appeared to be a black refugee child. By the end of the song, the two had morphed into one another. Despite fans’ unfamiliarity with the new tune, many concertgoers were lively and actively dancing from their seats.
Precious (from the Playing The Angel LP) was reworked with tribal drum beats and Gore took center stage to unleash a flurry of menacing guitar riffs that brought every attendee to their feet. This is one of the band’s signature highlights, which was a throwback to many of their successful hits during the 80s and 90s.
The band reached into its vault of older anthems as it stormed through the club-worthy rocker It’s No Good from their Ultra album. The song was arguably one of the best tracks of the night as it showcased DM’s pulsating drum loops and buzz saw guitar rhythms. The crowd’s exuberance for this setlist choice was emanating from every corner of the arena.A DM concert extravaganza would not be complete without paying tribute to their epic 1990 blockbuster LP Violator. The band played their mega-single Enjoy The Silence while dropping multi-colored balloons onto the stage. Enjoy The Silence resurfaced with a slew of rapid-fire funkadelic breakbeats. The track also featured a graphics screen of the trio (Gore, Gahan and Andrew Fletcher) in space suits. The hypnotically sexy and soulfully delicious I Feel You also received a standing ovation from far reaches of the stadium.
The band’s most intimate moment with the concertgoers came during the waning stages of the first encore when they played an acoustic version of their bittersweet love ballad, Somebody. Gore’s vocal resonated throughout the stadium and women crooned as he sang “ I want somebody to put their arms around and kiss me tenderly…” The setlist was not without its share of significant shortcomings.
The synth-flavored Fly On The Windscreen needed some retooling as it felt too dated. It was as if the audience was time-warped into 1985 for far too long. Jezebel was a romantic guitar-driven track that left fans sagging in their seats. Fans grew impatient at times, questioning if the band had been jamming inside the far reaches of the universe.
Dallas fans were rewarded with a double encore where DM blazed through a big-beat rendition of Stripped. But DM lovers were very underwhelmed when the band closed the night with an off-key take on the Air-like, minimalist techno-driven Waiting for the Night. At the close of their performance, DM fan’s were reminded that the gothic band has aged gracefully and their music offers the same ear-candy as it did twenty years ago.
Grade: B+
In The Spotlight: Enjoy The Silence (Live From Dallas)
Posted 8/30/09
